updated 07:56 am EDT, Fri June 14, 2013

The new iOS Camera and Photo apps value add to iPhone appeal

The iPhone has long had a reputation as having an excellent camera and image processing combination. According to Flickr, the iPhone 4S, 5 and 4 models hold the top three positions of the most used cameras on the site, highlighting the enduring appeal of the iPhone for casual photographers. At WWDC, Apple gave the audience a quick run through the beta version of the revamped Camera and Photos apps in iOS 7, highlighting some of the new features in both apps. So is there more to their new 'flatter' app icons and visual redesign?

Although a work in progress, the iOS 7 beta and its revised apps give iPhone users a good sense of what Apple has in stall for the final release due in the fall. While we can expect that the new software will debut on the next-generation iPhone (which will undoubtedly have improved camera optics and a new sensor) it is still very useful to see how it might benefit the many millions of iPhone 5 users as well. It is sometimes the case that new hardware is required to see the full benefits of new software, but it seems that iPhone 5 users will certainly see many improvements to the Camera and Photo app experience when the finalized iOS 7 upgrade eventually arrives.

The new Camera app looks very neat and tidy in its presentation. Perhaps the most notable difference, however, is the removal of the skeuomorphism reflected in the use of a faux camera shutter. The noticeable lag between the appearance of the shutter and the ability to shoot a photo has also been dramatically reduced in the new app, which just jumps right into the photo you want to shoot. A significant improvement that results from the design new layout is that key functions are now in direct view, rather than being tucked away under the Options button as they are currently in iOS 6. The Video mode, Photo mode, Panorama and the new Square photo mode are clearly visible, as is the option to set the camera to take HDR photos. Additional settings like the grid function are now placed in the general app Settings section. Also new in the Camera app is the ability to add lens effect filters directly to still shots, without having to defer to third-party apps. These can also be now be added in the Photos app, after the shot has been taken during editing.

One key improvement to the Camera app is that the video camera can now shoot in 60fps, up from 30fps, with the current hardware in the iPhone 5. This means that footage will playback at a higher quality, while post-production slow motion effects will also be improved where applied. One function that might have slipped under the radar is the added ability to zoom in and out in Video mode; something that the Camera app in iOS 6 does can't do. I've captured this in a short video clip embedded below. It is a small addition, but one that caught my wife's eye who has been continually frustrated by her inability to zoom in on our kids when shooting video of them during performances on stage. Also new is the ability to take still shots while shooting video.

The new Photos app in iOS 7 also includes some significant tweaks that take the pain out of organizing images. Photos are now automatically sorted into Moments, Collections and Years. The smart groupings rely on date and location metadata already embedded in your photos to make finding photos easier than they have ever been on any smartphone, in my view. Users can now also share grouped Photo Streams with friends. The new app also adds a social dimension to the photo sharing by allowing friends to post additional photos, videos and comments to your stream, automatically syncing these across devices. These can be seen in the new Activity view.

While the new Camera app in iOS 7 doesn't take any dramatic strides forward at this point in time, the changes that Apple has made are certainly beneficial and I hope that they continue to develop the app further before its release. As it stands, the changes brings it on par with camera apps in high-end Android devices from a purely software perspective. Where Apple has a distinct advantage over Android and other platforms is the integration of iCloud services in the Photos app. Always being able to have access to your last 1,000 photos, share streams and have them automatically organized underscores the benefits of Apple's massive investment in mega iCloud data centers.

This might sound trivial, but my main concern about this app is the icon.

They've replaced an icon that looks exactly like the actual camera on the back of the phone, with an icon that contains a graphical representation in symbolic form of an old-style camera from the past century.

I mean WTF?! This goes against all common sense. It's ugly, and a lot of people (mostly kids) won't even know what that symbol stands for at first. The original one was a beautiful, elegant thing that couldn't be mistaken functionally for anything else. It's only fault is it "looks like something" (the camera on the back of the phone), which goes against the new dogma.

Replacing something useful and attractive that is easily identifiable, with something uglier, more generic, and less identifiable, because of dogma is a foolish mistake IMO.

My first reaction to the new icon was that I didn't like it. But I think I understand why it was changed. First of all the icon is not outdated. Even the best digital DSLR cameras still look like that today. So it still says camera and will for years. It is showing current tech. Yes it's not the iPhone's camera, but it does say "camera." But I think the biggest reason is when it comes to making a camera button within apps like the Messages app. On the iPhone today there is an icon of a camera, similar to the iOS 7 icon. I think to keep things consistent they want to use the same icon for the app and the buttons that take you to that app. You can't use a circle within the Messages app and have people understand that means Camera. So they kept the camera icon within Messages and changed the app icon. Consistency was the driver here. While I think it's not as nice looking, I understand why they did it.

Even young teenagers today know what a rotary phone is when they see one ("look, an old telephone!"), even though they've never encountered one in real-life.

I'm sure the icon changing to a whole camera instead of just a lens is trivial. I hardly think it's a foolish mistake or that it will somehow diminish the association with what the app does -- I mean, it's a freaking camera -- what better way to convey the message that the app does camera-related things?